McMillan to Serve as KU’s Interim Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Dr. Laurie McMillan will serve as interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) at Kutztown University, effective Jan. 14, 2023. McMillan has been with KU since 2020, as associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“I have learned a lot about leadership from dean Dr. David Beougher and I look forward to continuing his collaborative work to help the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences shine in our support of students, faculty, staff and the Kutztown University mission,” McMillan said. “I feel extremely fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful colleagues with big hearts, deep commitments to students and a generous willingness to share their wisdom and energy.”

The appointment was announced today by Kutztown University provost Dr. Lorin Basden Arnold. McMillan will assume the role for Dr. David Beougher, who is departing KU to pursue other interests Friday, Jan. 13, after 10 years of service to the university. Beougher served as associate dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 2012-16 and was named dean of the college in November 2016. Prior to KU, Beougher retired from a 22-year career with the United States Army.

“Dean David Beougher has led the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with dedication and a keen analytic focus,” Basden Arnold said. “He has been an advocate for student success and faculty development in LAS and across the university community. We will miss his historical knowledge and dedication to the student experience.

“As Dr. Beougher’s associate dean, Dr. McMillan has exhibited an impressive ability to manage multiple tasks and roles, agility in effectively collaborating with people across the campus, willingness to take on challenges and pursue new opportunities – such as serving as a principal investigator for a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant – and a great skill in listening and responding to the needs of others,” Basden Arnold continued. “I’ve enjoyed working with her in the associate dean role and am excited to have her as part of the Academic Deans Council.”

While associate dean, McMillan was responsible for course scheduling, program assessment and a variety of projects and initiatives within the dean's office that assist and support students and faculty. She and her team of principal investigators were recently awarded a near-$300,000 grant from the NSF to identify underlying drivers of systemic gender inequities affecting STEM faculty and culminate in a five-year plan to advance organizational change. 

Before coming to Kutztown University, McMillan spent a year as the assistant dean in Millersville University's College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Before Millersville, she chaired the Department of English and Modern Language Studies at Pace University for more than three years. Earlier in her career, McMillan served as director of Writing and chair of the English department at Marywood University.

McMillan earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. She went on to earn two graduate degrees from Duquesne University: a Master of Arts in English literature and a Ph.D. in English literature.

A national search for a permanent dean is underway, chaired by Dr. Bradley Shope, interim dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.